Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history.
Mother Mary Lange
1789 - February 3,1882
Mother Mary Lange was born Elizabeth Clarisse Lange in Cuba. She left Cuba in the early 1800s and immigrated to the United States. She finally settled in Baltimore. Although Elizabeth was a refugee, she was well-educated and wealthy due to money left to her by her father. It did not take Elizabeth long to recognize that the children of her fellow Caribbean immigrants needed an education. She was determined to respond to that need despite being a black woman in a slave state. Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, there was no public education for Blacks in Baltimore since Maryland was a slave state and the education of slaves was outlawed. In 1818, she used her own money and home to educate children of color. Elizabeth, with a friend, Marie Balas, offered free education to children in their home in the Fells Point area of the city.
In 1828, with the encouragement and help of Sulpician Father James Joubert, Mother Lange and two other Black women started the first Black Catholic school in America. Elizabeth asked Father Joubert if they could also start a woman’s religious order. A year later, on July 2, 1829, three Black women, and Mother Lange pronounced vows to become the first religious order of women of African descent. She took the name Mary at her profession of vows. Mother Lange served as the first mother superior of the order, the Oblate Sisters of Providence, from 1829 to 1832, then again from 1835 to 1841. She served the Oblates in many ways including helping to nurse the sick during Baltimore’s Cholera Epidemic in the early 1830s and in the mid 1840s. She lived to celebrate the golden anniversary of the order. The Oblate Sisters of Providence were established with the primary purpose of the Catholic education of girls. With sisters in five countries and 25 cities in the U.S., they have been serving others for 177 years.
Mother Lange is being considered for canonization. Her cause for her beatification was opened in 2004 and she is honored as a Servant of God. Mother Mary Lange Catholic School opened in Baltimore in the fall of 2021.
Alma Levant Hayden March 30, 1927 – August 2, 1967
Alma was born in Greenville, SC. She began her chemistry career by graduating with honors from South Carolina State College. She then obtained a master’s degree from Howard University. Her expertise was in spectrophotometry, a type of electromagnetic spectroscopy that measures light wavelength absorption. In the 1950’s, Hayden joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and thus became one of the first female Black scientists to hold such a position in Washington. She was an accomplished scientist with research published in several journals. She then went on to join the FDA. In 1963, Hayden came to lead the spectrophotometer research branch of the FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
Hayden’s best-known contribution to American science involves Krebiozen, which was widely publicized as a cure for cancer. It was a substance allegedly discovered in the 1940’s by Yugoslavian physician Dr. Stevan Durovic. Dr. Durovic began treating people with Krebiozen, claiming that the drug eliminated tumors and reduced pain. With growing doubt about this unknown substance’s cancer-curing benefits and safety, the FDA sought to test a sample of the drug in their laboratory. In 1963, Hayden and her colleagues were assigned the task to determine what the “miracle” drug was and whether it had anti-cancer attributes as claimed. Using a small sample of the white compound, Hayden tested it with an infrared spectrometer, crossmatching it with known chemicals to reveal its identity. What she found was astonishing. The miracle cancer drug was nothing more than creatine, an amino acid derivative already found in the human body. FDA’s chemical analysis was soon supported by the findings of the National Cancer Institute that “Krebiozen does not possess any anticancer activity in man.” As a result of her discovery, officials issued dozens of indictments against several key players in this false and expensive cancer treatment scandal.
On August 2, 1967, Hayden died of cancer. Her pioneering spirit is also a shining example of unwavering determination and dedication that continues to inspire scientists of all racial and ethnic backgrounds decades later.
References:
Samuel Proctor
Massie, Jr.
July 3, 1919 – April 10, 2005
Dr. Massie was a chemist who studied a variety of chemicals that contributed towards the development of therapeutic drugs, including the chemistry of phenothiazine. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. By the age of thirteen, he had graduated from high school. Because he was denied admittance to the University of Arkansas because of his race, he went on to attend Agricultural Mechanical Normal College of Arkansas. He then attended Fisk University before being accepted to Iowa State University, where he received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry.
While at Iowa State University during of World War II, he was summoned before the draft board. Dr. Massie was allowed to return to school, but he was assigned to the Manhattan Project, where he worked with uranium isotopes in the program that created the first atomic bomb. After completing his Ph.D., Massie returned to Fisk University to teach. It was here that he met his future wife, Gloria. In 1954, he published a paper, The Chemistry of Phenothiazine, a classic in the field from which anti-psychotic medications were developed. In 1960, Massie moved to Washington D.C., taking on the role of Associate Program Director for Special Projects in Science Education at the National Science Foundation (NSF), helping improve college laboratories nationwide. While there Dr. Massie was also a professor at Howard University. He was a leading educator who promoted the participation of African Americans in education.
In 1966, Massie became the first Black professor at the U.S. Naval Academy; he then served as chair of the chemistry department from 1977 to 1981. During his tenure in Annapolis, Dr. Massie served on the academy’s equal employment opportunity committee and helped establish a black studies program. In 1994, Dr. Massie retired from the Naval Academy, though he retained the title professor emeritus. He was awarded an NAACP Freedom Fund Award; a White House Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award; and in 1998 was named one of the seventy-five outstanding scientists in the country by Chemical and Engineering News Magazine. In 2004, Prince George's County, Maryland dedicated Samuel P. Massie Elementary School in Forestville in his honor.
References:
Robert Parris Moses (January 23, 1935 – July 25, 2021)
Bob was an American educator and civil rights activist. He is known for his work as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) on voter education and registration in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. Born and raised in Harlem, he was a graduate of Hamilton College and later earned a master's degree in philosophy at Harvard University. He became a mathematics teacher at Horace Mann School in
New York.
Although he avoided publicity, Bob became one of the most influential black leaders of the southern civil rights struggle. His vision of grassroots, community-based leadership differed from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s charismatic leadership style. He decided in 1960 that he use his summer teaching break to go to Atlanta and work with Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In Atlanta, Moses volunteered to travel on behalf of SNCC on a recruiting tour of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. Bob returned to Mississippi in 1961 to work on voter registration in the city of McComb.
Bob developed the idea for the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, which recruited northern college students to join Mississippi blacks conducting a grassroots voter registration drive. The plan included education and organizing to demonstrate the African American desire to vote. Freedom Schools were created which were intended to counter the “sharecropper education” received by so many African Americans. Through reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and civics, participants received a progressive curriculum during a six-week summer program that was designed to prepare disenfranchised African Americans to become active political actors on their own behalf. Nearly 40 freedom schools were established serving close to 2,500 students, including parents and grandparents.
When local blacks were excluded from participating in the all-white “regular” Democratic Party, Bob helped create the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which sought recognition as the representative delegation from Mississippi at the Democratic National Convention of 1964.
In 1982, Bob received a MacArthur Fellowship and began developing the Algebra Project. The math literacy program emphasized teaching algebra skills to minority students, using broad-based community organizing and collaboration with parents, teachers, and students, to improve college and job readiness.
References:
Its Vision and Mission is dedicated to:
1. Ending systemic racism, promoting racial healing, and community wellness.
2. Working to ensure that all Marylanders have access to our state’s Black history, anti-racism best practices and teachings, and can safely visit
and enjoy Banneker-Douglass Museum through 2021 and beyond.
3. Committing to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting, and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage.
4. Providing technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC
seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors to our state about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland
To find out more, check out their WEBSITE which also includes Annual Reports.
Maryland has a number of Museums, Parks and Culture Centers preserving African American History in Maryland. Listed below are names, locations, descriptions and websites you may be interested in visiting. Prior to visiting, see their website for COVID guidelines and more information.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
Annapolis, MD
The Banneker-Douglass Museum, named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, is dedicated to preserving Maryland’s African American heritage and serves as the state’s official repository of African American material culture. The museum was dedicated on February 24, 1984. The original museum was housed within the former Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church in the heart of historic Annapolis. The Victorian-Gothic structure was included in the Annapolis Historic District in 1971 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center
North Brentwood, MD
(Prince George’s County)
Its mission is to celebrate and inspire the community through the cultivation, preservation, and presentation of the cultural and artistic contributions of African Americans in Prince George’s County, Maryland and beyond.
Howard County Center of African American Culture
Columbia, MD
The Center curates a rich treasure trove of historical artifacts, memorabilia and other resources, that tell the incredible story of the African American experience and contributions in Howard County Maryland (and beyond) … over the generations.
The Button Farm Living
History Center
Germantown, MD
The historic Button Farm, home to the Menare Foundation, is Maryland’s only living history center depicting 19th century plantation life. Situated on 40-acres, inside of Seneca Creek State Park in Germantown, Maryland, Button Farm provides a safe and affirming space for people to gather, commune and explore. Through the unique interactive experiences, the center seeks to reveal our nation’s social justice legacy, using the story of slavery and the Underground Railroad as a spark for human potential.
Harriet Tubman Museum and
Educational Center
Cambridge, MD
The museum offers historical displays, literature and videos about slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War and life in the post-Civil War period. The building features a powerful and moving mural of Harriet Tubman. A National Park Service Network to Freedom site.
https://www.visitmaryland.org/article/harriet-tubman-underground-railroad-visitor-center
National Great Blacks in
Wax Museum
Baltimore, MD (Baltimore City)
Black history and culture abound with the help of more than 150 life-sized, life-like wax figures at the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum. As one of the only wax museums in the nation dedicated to the preservation of African American history, the Great Blacks In Wax Museum offers one of the most enlightening and educational experiences around.
African Art Museum of Maryland
Fulton, MD
The African Art Museum of Maryland (AAMM), founded in 1980 as the first Museum in the planned community of Columbia, MD, is unique. It is one of only three musems of its kind in the USA devoted exclusively to the art of Africa. Of those three, it is the only one founded by an African American.
https://africanartmuseum.org/
Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park
Baltimore, MD (Currently Closed, but is preparing to reopen)
The Frederick Douglass- Isaac Myers Maritime Park is a Living Classrooms Foundation campus (and headquarters) and national heritage site that celebrates the contributions of African Americans in the development of Baltimore’s maritime industry. The site honors and interprets the city’s African- American maritime history, while preserving one of the city’s oldest existing waterfront industrial buildings.
http://livingclassrooms.org/programs/fdimmp/
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Baltimore, MD
Located in the heart of Downtown Baltimore, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture is the premier experience and best resource for information and inspiration about the lives of African American Marylanders. The Exhibits explore local African-American heritage through themes of family, community, history & art. The collections tell the story of African American Marylanders using objects dating from 1784 up to the present day.
Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park
Olney, MD
The 1½-story oak and chestnut log cabin inside immerses you in the history of those who have lived there. The main room on the ground floor wraps around an open hearth, and in a small adjoining room, 19th-century tools and artifacts are displayed. These items were excavated during archaeological digs around the park’s grounds. The cabin sits on a 2-acre tract running along Reddy Branch.
https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/oakley-cabin-african-american-museum-park
Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial
Annapolis, MD
The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial is the only memorial in the country that commemorates the actual name and place of arrival of an enslaved African. The Memorial consists of three distinct areas: the Alex Haley sculpture group, Compass Rose, and Story Wall.
https://www.annapolis.gov/584/Kunta-Kinte-Alex-Haley-Memoria
Josiah Henson Park
North Bethesda
Josiah Henson Museum & Park tells the story about the life and challenges of Reverend Josiah Henson, enslavement in Maryland, and the ongoing struggles of racial equality and justice. Henson is the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Uncle Tom' in the work "Uncle Tom's Cabin.".
https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/josiah-henson-park/
Throughout the 20th century many Black American musicians witnessed their art achieve global fame and repute. Despite the glitz and glam, features on magazine covers, appearances on television, and sold-out concerts, it was common for Black artists to not see the material fruits of their labor, usually making much less money than their white counterparts since music industry executives exploited the socio-economic vulnerabilities and disparities facing Black artists in order to extract deals and arrangements which disproportionately benefited the record labels.
Lest we think that these injustices are consigned to the 20th century, the unjust and treacherous practices of the music industry are still operating today. This article, Industry Rule #4080, discusses fifteen times rappers like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg fought to leave bad contracts within the past 25 years.
In many cases, the prevailing opinion is that Black artists fall prey to record industry schemes due to their poor education, lack of access to experienced attorneys, and unwillingness to play hardball with record labels. However, another explanation merits consideration. Data comparing the U.S. school system with other countries and our own domestic data show that American education is failing students at all levels and in all communities. Similarly, we can be certain that white artists are not any more sophisticated in their thinking skills than Black artists. So why is the music industry specifically targeting Black artists?
Simply put, property rights. Our society has a very long history of denying property rights to Black Americans. During slavery, Black people couldn’t own property or earn money for themselves. During Jim Crow, Black America faced discriminatory employment laws, segregation, and an entire maze of laws which hasof course hampered the accrual of property by Black Americans. ThisTherefore, there is a longstanding cultural and systemic practice in our society that legitimizes any machination to deprive Black Americans of income, capital, and property and to transfer those goods to white society. The music industry operates within theis economic and cultural context, however as.
As Catholics, we should remember that economic justice is a part of Our Lord’s divine Will - thou shall not steal (pay just wages, respect property rights), thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor (no slander), and thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods (respect others’ property and goods).